Home from surgery!

I'm glad I can help! Often times, the unknown is what is most scary.

I actually brought more to the hospital than what I needed. I brought some comfy clothes, but didn't need any till I left. It was easier to just wear the gown and be underwearless. I also brought some feminine type pads (I've heard you can have anal leakage after surgery), but thankfully, I didn't need those either. I bought a cheapy MP3 player ($15) and didn't get it out once! Same goes for the magazines.

Things I actually used were:

Spiderman blanket. Just having something from home can make you feel better. I wasn't cold much, so I just brought it up to my face and kind of snuggled with it.

Nintendo DS. I didn't use it a lot, but it did help pass some time while I was waiting to be released.

Cottonelle wipes. Very easy on your butt if it's feeling angry. You might also want something to protect your butt, like some Tucks cream or Prep H.

Lip Balm

Any pills they won't provide for you, in my case, a birth control pill and allergy med.

Nanners, I'm definitely taking it easy. I still have to be careful getting up/down and am spending lots of time resting. My body is starting to feel a bit weak, probably over my lack of food intake, so I guess it's time to get brave and start eating more quantity. I haven't taken any pain meds since yesterday morning. I discovered they really don't do anything for me at the small dose I was taking. Plus, they said to take with food, which I think interferes with the absorption. If I up the dosage, I'm worried I'll spend all day sleeping (and I don't want to get constipated either). I'm thinking I'll save the pills for days when I have to go to doctor's appointments, which is a lot over the next couple months.

Thought of something else . Your first few BMs are going to be D and dark with old blood and mucus (kind of a rusty color). Don't be alarmed! It will be like this for 2 or 3 days. Today was the first day that I had a normal colored BM, and it's also starting to get formed again. Today was also the first day I could pass gas without stool. I know, TMI!

EDIT: My dad was the one that warned me about this. He said when he saw all that blood, he thought that was it, the surgery failed and he was going to die (they gave him a 50/50 chance of living). He was in pretty bad shape though, so the average person may not have such an alarming BM.

Can anyone help me understand what types of vitamins I should be taking? I currently don't take any. Just had a ileocecetomy a week ago. Since my diagnosis of Crohn's in 2004 all the docs I a have seen never suggested any supplements to me. Also I was wondering how likely you are to get a hernia after this type of surgery because I think I may have one.

Thanks

sno92c - You might want to start your own post. You are posting on Spooky's surgery post, and we don't want to hijack her post. Plus you will get more responses in your own post to your questions.

Hugs
Gail*Nanners*